Business

Google Maps Upgrades Ads

Update: I've been informed by Google that ads have been apart of Maps since 2010; they've merely been upgraded to look more like organic results, as outlined below. I apologize for my error.

It was only a matter of time before Google brought ads to its popular Google Maps service, which the company claims is used by more than 1 billion people each month.

On Thursday, Google announced that ads will now appear in its apps for iPhone, iPad and Android after a user performs a search. For example, if you search for an art supplies store in Brooklyn, N.Y., an ad for one may appear as a small white banner at the bottom of the screen beneath the regular search results.

Below is an example of an ad on a search for gardening supplies in Manhattan, which Google provided:

When a user clicks on an ad, the same information will be displayed as though he clicked on one of the natural search results, including the address, hours of operation, reviews and a click to call button.

The product closely resembles Google's primary search product, which displays paid ads at the top of organic search results on google.com and on mobile. The appeal of Google Maps, even beyond its enormous reach, is the ability to capture people looking for local services and shops in specific locations — often at the exact time they are trying to visit those businesses.

Advertisers are charged on a cost-per-click basis when a user first clicks on the bottom banner — and again if a user asks for directions, calls the business or clicks on the link to the business' website. Advertisers will be charged a maximum of two clicks per impression, Salahuddin Choudhary, product manager of Google Maps, wrote in a blog post announcing the new service.

The new service should help boost the ad revenue Google pulls in from mobile search, a market the company already dominates.

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